• Work on the Bay Street Town Center improvements has been pushed back to an early August starting date. The City originally wanted in-house contractors to do all the work, but decided to bid portions of the project following a second opinion from the General Counsel’s Office. Public Works spokesperson Sherry Hall said it will be tight, but the project will be complete in time for Super Bowl visitors.
• Several acres off of A. Philip Randolph Boulevard at Albert Street near the Sports Complex have been cleared to make way for a new residential development. According to City Council member Pat Lockett-Felder, the non-profit group Operation New Hope is leading those efforts.
• After meeting with City Council president Elaine Brown, Council member Suzanne Jenkins has agreed to review the Council’s cell phone policy. Jenkins, who chairs the Government Performance, Audit and Education Committee, agreed that it might make more sense to streamline Council cell phone plans so that they aren’t overused.
• Since 2000, the JEDC figures it has lost 65 corporate relocation projects to other cities out of 438 prospects considered. Most have been lost to regional competitors, with 14 going elsewhere in Florida and 12 heading to Georgia. The City’s policy of granting incentives only north and west of the St. Johns River has been one of the biggest competitive disadvantages.
• Secretary of State Glenda Hood and Jorge Arrizurieta will be the keynote speakers at the Northeast Florida International Summit 2004, scheduled for Aug. 11 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at Florida Coastal School of Law. Arrizurieta is president of the Florida Free Trade Agreement of the Americas Inc. To register, call 680-7730, 680-7758 or e-mail [email protected].
The Olympics are coming to town and Downtown This Week has the details. It’s available today at various locations.